Zoo Praha, the largest zoo in the Czech Republic, recently increased its entrance fees. However, the increase has not been met with widespread disapproval, as the zoo has pledged to allocate more money toward the protection of biodiversity.
Visitors are now motivated to purchase their tickets online, as the cost of a printed adult ticket has increased by 80 CZK, while an electronic ticket has only increased by 50 CZK. However, tickets purchased online by students and retirees have not increased in price at all.
The annual entrance fee for families has risen by 1,500 CZK, and by 800 CZK for individuals. The zoo has cited several factors that led to the price increase, including rising costs of transportation and energy, with fifteen pavilions to heat. The zoo’s spokesman, Filip Mašek, said that there had been no increase in prices for several years, even during the COVID-19 pandemic or the onset of the Ukrainian war.
In addition to the increased revenue from entrance fees, the zoo is expanding its efforts to protect endangered species and support conservation projects worldwide. In situ projects are primarily funded by visitor fees, and the zoo will now increase the per-visitor contribution to CZK 8, up from CZK 5.
The zoo’s náměstkyně primátora, Jana Komrsková, announced the increase in visitor fees at the opening of the CITES Faces exhibition. Mašek stated that while the fee increase might seem like a small amount per visitor, with over 1.5 million visitors annually, it would add up to millions of CZK.
The zoo’s efforts have been recognized globally, with it being ranked among the top zoos in the world for its breeding of rare species. In 2020, Zoo Praha bred the Critically Endangered Scimitar-horned Oryx, a type of antelope native to Africa that was once extinct in the wild. The zoo is also heavily involved in conservation projects in Madagascar, helping to protect lemurs and their habitat.